Patriots, Red Sox, Yankees among most valuable sports teams

Curt Schilling of the Boston Red Sox pitches against the Colorado Rockies in Game 2 of the Major League Baseball (MLB) World Series at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S., on Thursday, Oct. 25, 2007. Photographer: Robert Caplin/Bloomberg News

BLOOMBERG NEWS

Posted:
Tuesday, July 16, 2013 5:35 pm

By Eli Okun PBN Staff Writer

NEW YORK – The New York Yankees, New England Patriots and Boston Red Sox all rank among the 11 most valuable sports teams in the world, according to a new list compiled and released by Forbes.

The Yankees, valued at $2.3 billion, are the top team in baseball and No. 4 overall. The Patriots, valued at $1.635 billion, are second only to the Dallas Cowboys in football and No. 6 overall. And the Red Sox, the third-most valuable team in baseball and No. 11 among all sports, are worth $1.312 billion, according to the media outlet.

The top three most valuable teams in the world are all European soccer clubs: Real Madrid, Manchester United and Barcelona, all three of which have a far greater social media following than any other team in the top 50 most valuable, Forbes reported. Real Madrid claimed the top spot this year from Manchester United.

The Patriots, which has sold out every home game since 2002, raised ticket prices last season for the first time in five years. The Red Sox became newly eligible last season for a $39.4 million tax credit when Fenway Park was included in the National Register of Historic Places.

The Yankees, the most valuable American sports team, received more revenue last season in ticket sales and premium seating than the seven least valuable baseball teams combined. The team’s parent company sold part of its interest in the YES network last year, meaning that the rights fee from the deal for the team will rise from $85 million this year to $350 million in 2042.

Overall, all but two teams in the National Football League made the list. Among the top 50, the average team is worth $1.24 billion — a 16 percent rise from last year.

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